Yarn-piecing apparatus and method with yarn collation by vacuum

ABSTRACT

A yarn-collating vacuum means and method are disclosed for use in association with a yarn-piecing apparatus having a freely rotatable roller as the yarn-proffering element thereof, to assure the consistent and strong joining of diverse yarn-ends despite offset of their threadlines prior to the piecing operation. The vacuum means has a mouth opening positioned below and close to the roller so as to be in line with the yarn-end entrained on the roller and depending therefrom. In operation, as the roller bearing the entrained end approaches another yarn-end to be pieced therewith, the vacuum means, in a yarn-collating action, draws in air currents and with them draws the other end into engagement with the entrained end. The entrained end at this time is clamped and twisted to hold it in a spaced away relation to the vacuum means mouth and to impart to it an overtwist. It is then released to untwist and in so doing intertwines with the other end collated therewith. The roller then is rotated to unentrain the first end. The mouth of the vacuum means, in preferred embodiments, is bevelled and/or has grooves in line with the threadline of the entrained end to permit close, yet spaced away relation thereto for better yarn collation.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Albert D. Harmon Clemson, SC. [21 App]. No. 20,365 [22] Filed Mar. 17, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1971 [73] Assignee Maremont Corporation Chicago, Ill.

[54] YARN-PIECING APPARATUS AND METHOD WITH YARN COLLATION BY VACUUM 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 57/34-R, 57/34.5, 57/156 [51] Int. Cl D0lh 15/00 [50] Field of Search 57/34 R,

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,373,551 3/1968 Gillono et al. 57/34 R 3,398,521 8/1968 Bell et al 57/34R 3,466,862 9/1969 Artamonova et al. 57/34 R Primary Examiner-John Petrakes Att0rney-Donald H. Feldman ABSTRACT: A yarn-collating vacuum means and method are disclosed for use in association with a yarn-piecing apparatus having a freely rotatable roller as the yarn-proffering element thereof, to assure the consistent and strong joining of diverse yarn-ends despite offset of their threadlines prior to the piecing operation. The vacuum means has a mouth opening positioned below and close to the roller so as to be in line with the yarn-end entrained on the roller and depending therefrom. in operation, as the roller bearing the entrained end approaches another yarn-end to be pieced therewith, the vacuum means, in a yarn-collating action, draws in air currents and with them draws the other end into engagement with the entrained end. The entrained end at this time is clamped and twisted to hold it in a spaced away relation to the vacuum means mouth and to impart to it an overtwist. It is then released to untwist and in so doing intertwines with the other end collated therewith. The roller then is rotated to unentrain the first end. The mouth of the vacuum means, in preferred embodiments, is bevelled and/or has grooves in line with the threadline of the entrained end to permit close, yet spaced away relation thereto for better yarn collation.

PATENTED DEC 1 I97! 352514 SHEET 1 OF 2 IN VEN TOR ALBERT D. HARMON BY MWZZW HIS AGENT PATENTEUIJEC 7l97| I SHEET 2 0F 2 11 2544 INVENTOR ALBERT D. HAKMO/V BY 3mm 24mm Il /5 AGENT YARN-PIECING APPARATUS AND METHOD wmr vARN COLLATION av VACUUM BAcxoRouNDoFfrHE lNvEN'rloN This invention relates to improvement in yam-piecing devices which employ a roller as the yam-engaging member of the nosepiece thereof andto a yam-piecing method. In particular, this invention relates to avacuum yam-accumulator or collatingmeans closely associated with said roller for assisting Usually, the break or separation of the yarn ends to be rejoined or pieced occurs between some yarn delivery as sembly, such as the delivery rolls of a textile machine, and some yarn take-up" device,such as a package former, e.g. the rotatable spindle of a textile twisting and winding frame; and indeed such delivery assembly and package former may be on the same textile machine, although this is not a present requirement.

To effect such piecing, th e art has disclosed sundry and varied devices; prominent among the more efficacious ones are those employing a freelyrotatable roller as the element which is effective in proffering one end to the other and their engagement during the joining operation. Usually the roller is part of a protrudable assemblage commonly called the nosepiece" of the device. Such devices include those shown or otherwise disclosed in U.S. Pat. 3,149,451 and 3,373,551,,

Japanese Pat. Publication No..l69l5/ 1968 published on July.

17, 1968 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 22920/1964 published on Aug. 10, i964. The prior art has also disclosed the use of vacuum means to assist in the piecing operation, and most pertinently the aforementioned U.S. Pat. 3,373,551 wherein the vacuum means underlies a yarn clamp and cutter means to align the yarn end which is born by the piecing head, and essentially trap the borne yarn end in its V shaped knotch during forward movement of the piecing head or nosepiece toward the deliveryv yarn end; in somewhat similar vein, U.S. Pat. 3,398,521 employs a vacuum means to control the borne yarn end during its approach to the delivery yarn end to be'joined therewith. Despite such teachings, however, no simple yet consistently effective means is taught for assuring alignment of the yarn ends to be joined together one with the other. An offtirne occurring circumstance is that where the depending threadline of the delivery yarn end, commonlyheld between its point of issuance from the delivery assembly and a vacuum cleaner-tube, is not precisely positioned so as to' coincide with the threadline of the yarn end borne by the piecing device. This offset or misalignment of threadlines, depending upon its degree, results either in only partial overlay or no contact during the critical piecing-up operation of the device thus providing either an unsatisfactory weak piecing or no piecing at all. Thus, if alignment of the delivery yarn end is offset from the yarn end borne by the piecing device by as little as one sixty-fourth of an inch, the aforesaid undesirable consequences ensue.

in those piecing devices which employ a vacuum means to position the home yarn end on the piecing device for its approach and contact with the delivery yarn end issuing from the delivery assembly of the textile machine, but employing no roller, the borne yarn-end is in contact with the walls of the vacuum orifice in rubbing engagement therewith and is weakened thereby. Further, such prior art vacuum means is not necessarily positioned such that it will ensure alignment of the threadline of the delivery yarn end with that of the borne yarn end to effect contact coincidence in the critical piecingup step. In either or both events, it is to be observed that at 1 best a less than satisfactory piecing occurs, the joined yarn often producing either intolerable slubs or a piecing too weak to endure further processing by the high speed textile machines common to the art which breaks again. but at a far less accessible place such as in the package, causing all manner of difficulties. Usually, however, no piecing occurs.

A further problem occurs with piecing devices which employ a freely rotatable roller or the like as the nosepiece element effective in bringing the yarn ends to be pieced into piecing contact with one another during the critical piecing-up step. After repeated piecin gs, lintlike accumulations tend to accrete between the roller and its supporting shaft and/or the points of attachment of the roller shaft and the supporting arms of the nosepiece. In time, such accumulations prevent free rotation of the roller, which rotation as will be later explained is vital to successful yarn-piecing. This results in a functional inoperativeness of the piecing apparatus.

Thus it is to the remedy-of these substantial difficulties encountered with prior art piecing devices that the present invention is directed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is a broad object of this invention to provide an improved yam-piecing, roller-containing apparatus which assures consistent, strong piecing of diverse yarn-ends despite misalignment or offset of their threadlines and a method therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide such an improved apparatus and method which maintains the roller free of other wise incapacitating accretions of lintlike fibers.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide such an improved apparatus and method which assures such piecing over a measurable and extended length of the ends to be pieced without slubs. 1 v

A yet other object of the invention is to provide such an improved apparatus and method which maintains the roller free of incapacitating lint-like accretions.

Yet another object of thisinvention is to provide such an improved apparatus and method wherein during vacuum collation of the yarn-ends to be pieced abrasion thereof is obviated.

Further desirable objects will readily become apparent from and/or are inherent in the explanation of the invention which follows.

SUMMARY OF'ITHE INVENTION It has now been found that the objects of this invention may be attained by means of providing, in close association and in spaced relation to the roller yam-entraining member of the piecing device yarn-end proffering nosepiece, a vacuum means with an opening facing the threadlines of the yarn-end borne by the nosepiece and that depending from the textile machine yarn delivery assembly. Said opening, according to preferred embodiments hereof, has grooves in the upper and lower walls thereof opposing the roller so as to form a bifurcate channel-type pathway therebetween to accommodate at various times during the piecing operations the threadline of the borne yarn-end and the "licked in" delivery yarn-end. The

vacuum means so associated and positioned is capable of developing a sufficient flow of vacuum-drawn air through said openingsuch that it can move the delivery yarn-end away from its normally downward direction laterally. toward the threadline of the borne yarn-end during the critical piecing-up step. in this way, the delivery yarn-end is licked in" toward the borne-end in a collating action and makes contact therewith for intertwining andpiecing therewith, upon release of the borne-end from its held position of entrainment on the nosepiece roller element. The channel configuration of the vacuum meansopening aids in directing the delivery yarn-end toward the borne-end by guiding the currents of air entering said opening. According to the invention, the walls of the opening are spaced away from the most extreme laterally inward threadline position of the borne yarn-end and the delivery-end which is licked in during the critical piecing up um om step. Thus, according to the invention, the present improvement comprises in combination with a yarn-end piecing device, a freely rotatable, yarn-end entraining roller on the protrudable yarn-proffering nosepiece assembly of said device, and vacuum means associated with said roller having an outwardly faced opening from said nosepiece in spaced relation to said roller whereby the threadline of yarn entrained over said roller is in line with said opening and spaced away therefrom and in close association therewith. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of entraining an end of yarn over a freely rotatable roller element of a yarn-proffering nosepiece of a yarn piecing device; clamping said yarn-end thereover while imparting twist to said yarn, moving said nosepiece toward na end of yarn to be joined with said entrained yarn-end; actuating a vacuum means, which is in close association with said roller and the threadline of said entrained yarn, having an opening adjacent said threadline but spaced away therefrom whereby said other yarn-end is drawn toward said entrained threadline; and releasing said entrained yarn-end from said roller and concomitantly rotating said roller whereby said other yarn-end is joined to said released yarn-end and moved with it away from said nosepiece.

In operation, the nosepiece is advanced toward the delivery assembly of the textile machine. As the threadline of the yarn entrained over the roller nosepiece and thereupon clamped closely approaches the threadline of the delivery yarn, the latter under the aegis of currents of air being drawn into the open end or mouth of the vacuum means is licked away from the vacuum cleaning tube associated with the delivery assembly and into contact with the entrained yarn-end threadline. The entrained yarn-end during this interval is being twisted from its other end by the takeup device to which it is connected, to provide a rather high degree of twist, commonly known as overtwist. Shortly thereafter, the nosepiece is advanced to a point where the nonrotating, but otherwise freely rotatable roller makes contact with the continuously rotating lower delivery roll. Thereupon, the entrained yarnend is unclamped, the roller is driven by the delivery roll and the unclamped overwound or overtwisted yarn-end untwists joining in this action the licked in delivery yarn in contact therewith forming a continuous strand of pieced yarn between the delivery rolls of the textile machine to the takeup device. The collating action of the air currents drawn into the aforesaid vacuum means of the invention provides positive engagement of the delivery yarn with the entrained yarn despite prior misalignment of the threadlines thereof, yet since the mouth of the vacuum means is always spaced away from the entrained threadline, abrasion thereof is obviated, assuring a nonweakened piecing of the yam-ends.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A fuller appreciation of the various features of the present invention and a better understanding of its mode of operation may be had through the explanation which follows when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1, in side elevation partially in section, shows the roller-containing nosepiece of the piecing device as it begins its approach toward the delivery assembly of the textile machine prior to clamping of the yarn-end bome thereby, and the mouthpiece of the present vacuum means in close association with said roller.

FIG. 2, in similar view, shows the entrained yarn-end clamped, the nosepiece in a more advanced position and the delivery yarns threadline being licked or drawn toward the entrained yarns threadline under the influence of air currents being drawn into the open end of the present vacuum means.

FIG. 3, in similar view, shows contact of the roller with the delivery roll, unclamping of the entrained yarn, engagement of the delivery yarn with the entrained yarn and piecing by untwist of the overtwist of the unclamped yarn with the lickedin and contacting delivery yarn.

FIG. 4, in yet similar view shown the now pieced yarn extending as a continuous strand vand the piecing device nosepiece moved or with drawn from the textile machine.

FIG. 5, taken approximately along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, shows a front view of the mouthpiece of the present vacuum means in close association with the roller and the entrained yarn-end, the latter two partially broken away in fragmentary view.

FIG. 6, taken approximately along line 66 of FIG. 5, shows the vacuum mouth piece in spaced away relation to the threadline of the entrained yarn end.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Prior to the progressive steps occurring in the practice of the present device and method as shown in FIGS. I to 4, a continuous strand of staple yarn, extending between the delivery assembly of a textile device and a yarn-twisting takeup or package-forming device, had parted therebetween to create an ends-down condition. An automatic yarn-piecing device, patrolling along and scanning the delivery positions of the textile machine, had detected the ends-down condition, stopped and aligned itself adjacent the appropriate delivery assembly and its corresponding takeup device, fixed a yarn such as a seed yarn" at one end to the take up device or alternately withdrew a portion of the parted yarn fixed to the takeup device, taken other necessary actions such as threading the corresponding traveler or the like and elevated itself to a position in line with the delivery assembly of the textile machine and the yarn-end still issuing therefrom.

Turning to FIG. 1 the yarn end D issuing from between the nip of the delivery rolls l2 and 14 of delivery assembly I0 of the textile machine downwardly depends therefrom and is aspirated into a vacuum tube 16 associated with delivery 10 through an adjacent orifice 18; thereby, yarn-end D is positioned such that its depending threadline is generally adjacent to and trained on a portion of lower roll 14 and is substantially but not necessarily precisely perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said rolls 12, I4.

With respect to the yarn-proffering nosepiece assembly, generally designated as 20, positioned as aforesaid, it comprises a nosepiece assembly support arm 22 connected (not shown) to the nosepiece elevating and advancement-retroction actuating mechanism (not shown) of the piecing device; intermediate arm 22 and pivotably connected thereat (not shown) is a forwardly extending yarn-clamping and -severing arm 24; positioned at the forward ends, and respectively at the upper and lower opposing sides thereof, of arms 22, 24 are clamping and yarn-severing jaws 26, 28, jaw 26 optionally being of a resilient material; fixed to the forward end of arm 22 and projecting therefrom are roller shaft supporting arms 30, which optionally may be resiliently mounted (not shown) for pressure-forced inward movement, said arms 30 supporting therebetween at an intermediate point thereof a bifurcate yarn guide 32, and at the forward end portion thereof a roller support shaft 34 having mounted thereon for free rotation thereabout a yarn-entraining roller 36', and a tube portion 40 of said vacuum means of the invention having an open end mouth 42 facing delivery assembly 10 and in close, spaced relation to roller 36, said tube 40 being shown as fixed to the underside of arm 22 and is connected (not shown) to some device (not shown) of the vacuum means which can create within tube 40 a subatmospheric pressure, such as a vacuum pump, so as to draw currents of air designated as C into mouth 42. In general, mouth 42 has a bevelled opening in the downward direction, the walls of which in section (not shown) may be rectangular in a preferred embodiment, and on their outer faces may be linear or, in the most preferred embodiment, may have at their upper and lower opposing faces knotches or grooves centered so as to be substantially in line with the bifurcate opening of yarn guide 32, the phantom line joining the apexes of the upper and lower grooves being indicated as 42A, in this and succeeding figures.

- engage jaw 28 with jaw 26 to grasp in such bite yarn-end Y passing therebetween, and sever the tailend of yarn-end Y, marked Y. While in such grasp, and thus held at one end and continually twisted by the takeup'device at its other end, yarnend Y is placed under tension and overtwisted, the latter as seen by comparison with the twist on yarn-end Y in FIG. 1. Concomittantly, drafts of air C being drawn into mouth 42 of tube 40 of the present vacuum me'ans act upon the depending portion of delivery yarn Dflso as to draw it towards held yarn-' end Y and away from assembly 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, nosepiece 20 continues its approach to delivery assembly until roller 36 makes contact with lower roll 14, grasping in the bite produced both yarn-end Y and .6 knotches permit yarn-end Y to be in close, spaced relation to mouth 42 throughout the piecing operation and in very close,

yet spaced away relation thereto'during the critical piecing-up step as shown in FIG. 3. Also, provision of knotches helps proyarn-end D. Upon such contact, roller 36 driven by continu-' ously rotating roll 14 rotates in the direction of the arrow and in so doing pulls loose yam-end JY from its held position between the bite of jaws 26, 28. At this point of close approach of mouth 42 to the depending threadline of yarn-end D,the air currents entering mouth 42 have licked yarn-end D into contact with yarn-end Y depending from roller 36, the licked-in fibers of yarn-end D being shown and designated as L. As yarn-end Y is so pulled free its overtwist portion in contact with licked-in fibers L begins to untwist and in so doing sures in length that distance along the threadline from the bite of jaws 26, 28 to, at the least, the point of entry into orificels of vacuum tube 16. Thus, according to the means and method of the invention a strong and consistent piecing is efiected over a length of the yarn strand formed. Such piecing is very rapid, and occurs in the length of time required to drive the length of yarn-end Y between jaws 26, 28 to where roller 36 engages roll 14 past the lower wall of mouth 42. As seen in FIG. 4, once piecing is effected nosepiece 20 is retracted ro withdrawn from the delivery assembly, arm 24 is pivoted away from arm 22 in preparation for yet other piecings and the continuous strand of yarn P formed by the previous piecing once again extends between the nip of delivery rolls l2, l4 and the takeup device for processing' j Concerning the preferred knotched embodiment of the vacuum means mouth, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, said vide a more precise control of the yarn-collating action of the flow of air currents C in the licking-in of fibers L of yarn-end D in the steps shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. in general, mouth 42 is beveled so that contact with yarn-end Y therewith is avoided, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the downwardly depending threadline of yam-end Y' becomes increasingly angular as nosepiece 20 is advanced toward assembly 10. When the knotched embodiment 'is employed, the apexes of the knotches also follow a bevelled line therebetween (phantom line 42A) so that no contact between the walls of mouth 42 and the yarn is made. Further, the flow of air currents C into mouth 42 has the beneficial effect of keeping roller 36, at its points of support with its support shaft 34, substantially free of otherwise inca acitating accretions of lintlike fibers, maintaining roller freely rotatable for the necessary rotations indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 3.

I claim: f I. In combination with' a yarn-piecing apparatus having a yam-entraining roller as the yam-preferring element thereof,

yarn-collating vacuum means for collating an end of yarn with another end of yarn entrained over and having a depending threadline from said roller, for piecing therewith,

wherein said vacuum means has an open mouth element for drawing thereinto currents of air, said element being fixed to said apparatus relative to said roller so as to face said depending threadline.

2. The combination as in claim I, wherein said mouth element is in closely spaced away relation to said roller.

3. The combination as in claim I, wherein said mouth element has its opening in closely spaced away relation to said depending threadline. I

4. The combination as in claim 3, wherein said mouth element has a bevelled opening.

5. The combination as in claim 3, wherein said mouth element has at its opening grooves in line with said dependin threadline.

6. The combination as in claim 5, wherein the line joining the apexes of said mouth grooves is bevelled. 1

7. in a method for piecing ends of yarn, the steps comprising releasably clamping an end of yarn in entrainment over a freely rotatable roller; twisting said yarn-end to impart an overtwist; vacuum collating another end of yarn with said yarn-end for piecing therewith; releasing said clamped yarn-end, whereby it untwists and intertwines with said other yarn-end collated therewith; and rotating said roller whereby said entrained yarn-end is unen- I trained. 8. The method as in claim 7, wherein said collating is carried out by vacuum-inducing the flow of currents of air to draw together said yam-ends in a collating action.

i a I s 1: a a 

1. In combination with a yarn-piecing apparatus having a yarnentraining roller as the yarn-profferring element thereof, yarn-collating vacuum means for collating an end of yarn with another end of yarn entrained over and having a depending threadline from said roller, for piecing therewith, wherein said vacuum means has an open mouth element for drawing thereinto currents of air, said element being fixed to said apparatus relative to said roller so as to face said depending threadline.
 2. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said mouth element is in closely spaced away relation to said roller.
 3. The combination as in claim 2, wherein said mouth element has its opening in closely spaced away relation to said depending threadline.
 4. The combination as in claim 3, wherein said mouth element has a bevelled opening.
 5. The combination as in claim 3, wherein said mouth element has at its opening grooves in line with said depending threadline.
 6. The combination as in claim 5, wherein the line joining the apexes of said mouth grooves is bevelled.
 7. In a method for piecing ends of yarn, the steps comprising releasably clamping an end of yarn in entrainment over a freely rotatable roller; twisting said yarn-end to impart an overtwist; vacuum collating another end of yarn with said yarn-end for piecing therewith; releasing said clamped yarn-end, whereby it untwists and intertwines with said other yarn-end collated therewith; and rotating said roller whereby said entrained yarn-end is unentrained.
 8. The method as in claim 7, wherein said collating is carried out by vacuum-inducing the flow of currents of air to draw together said yarn-ends in a collating action. 